Mike Myers Is Hosting ‘The Gong Show’ Reboot, Apparently, But Not As Mike Myers

With the exception of some one-off appearances on SNL, Mike Myers has been on an acting hiatus since 2009’s Inglourious Basterds. You’d probably want to take a couple years off after The Love Guru, too. But the Wayne’s World star is slowly making his way back into the public eye. There’s always the long-rumored fourth Austin Powers movie, but more certain is the assassin thriller Terminal, where Myers will act alongside Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg, and he’s set to play Del Close in a biopic about the improv legend’s life.

Before all that, though, Myers has been tapped to host ABC’s kitschy The Gong Show revival, except he’s not not Mike Myers — he’s “Tommy Maitland.”

I’ll let the Hollywood Reporter explain.

Sony’s reboot, which is being produced for ABC by Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue, has tapped an unconventional emcee befitting the nostalgic talent show. And while no party involved will confirm it, that host is believed to be Mike Myers. In a twist without much precedent, the comedian behind Wayne’s World and Austin Powers seems to be going full method for the gig. His name is unlikely to be found on any literature, promotions or even credits tied to The Gong Show. No, the host is technically “Tommy Maitland,” an elaborate character created for the sole purpose of stepping into the Gong Show role once famously filled by the late Chuck Barris. (Via)

This “Tommy Maitland” character comes complete with an elaborate backstory (he’s a 72-year-old standup comedian from London who once “hosted an Australian game show called Dingo’s Got the Baby, in which one contestant would be the dingo and another the baby, and a chase would ensue”) and a Twitter account. My theory: Tommy Maitland is Mike Myers, Mike Myers is Tony Clifton, and Tony Clifton is Andy Kaufman. That makes as much sense as Fat Bastard hosting The Gong Show (which premieres June 22).

(Via the Hollywood Reporter)